


Fair Honesty

by Misskiku



Series: Bederia Goodness [5]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), DressedinPinkShipping, F/M, Fluff, Hop, Marnie - Freeform, bederiaweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:08:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22838341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misskiku/pseuds/Misskiku
Summary: Written for Bederia week 2020Day 1 Prompt: Fair/Amusement parkGloria invites Bede to the annual Wyndon Fair with her, Hop and Marnie.
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Yuuri | Gloria
Series: Bederia Goodness [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1630534
Comments: 11
Kudos: 110





	Fair Honesty

The annual Wyndon Fair was bustling with life. Crowds surged through the gates like water spurting forth from a broken dam and Bede cautiously stepped to the side lest he be swept away in the torrent of people. He was swamped with noise. Laughter and shrieks of children, the rumble of rollercoasters and cries of Pokemon. He scanned the jumble of people with a frown. This would be like finding a needle in a haystack- 

"Bede!" 

His heart fluttered in his chest at the sound of his name called over the buzz of the crowd. He barely had time to turn towards her voice, to see her rushing towards him, before Gloria slammed into him with a hug. 

He stiffened involuntarily, his body flashing alight with heat, as her arms wrapped around him. A hug. He'd forgotten that he'd given her permission to hug him, to embrace him like this as she did to all her friends. 

It was hard to remember anything, let alone how to speak, when Gloria was hugging him like this. She stepped back before he could snap out of his stupor and hug her back. He missed his chance. All his regrets were cast aside when she smiled brightly at him. 

"I'm so glad you made it!" she beamed excitedly. "Now we're all here!" 

Right. 

Bede looked behind her, to where Marnie and Hop were standing not far off. Marnie had a curious twinkle in her eyes, Hop stared elsewhere, looking disinterested with his hands in his pockets. 

Bede shoved the trickle of frustration in his gut down. He'd already been doused in disappointment when he'd realised earlier that she'd invited Marnie and Hop as well. He wasn't going to go through another round of that. 

"C'mon, Bede! The obedience and athletics competition has already begun!" Gloria skipped off towards Marnie and Hop. "This way!" 

How could he remain disappointed when she was so excited like that? When she smiled at him so brightly, dazzling and striking and blinding. Everything seemed to dull in the presence of her smile and Bede followed with an amused grin. 

They made their way through the river of people to a small grassy oval that was set up for competitions. An array of equipment littered the oval, a woman running the course with a bounding Arcanine at her heels. Arcanine leapt cleanly over the hurdles, jumping it with ease with powerful legs. The owner called quick commands and Arcanine followed obediently. They tracked around the course, making the final jumps in quick succession to the excitement of the watching crowd. 

Gloria cheered loudly, bouncing on her toes. "That was amazing!" She clung to the low fence surrounding the oval, an elated sparkle lighting up her eyes. Her reactions were as entertaining as the event itself. Bede smiled to himself, sneaking glances at her when she cooed at the next Pokemon to take to the track. 

And saw Marnie looking straight at him. Bede froze. She stood next to Hop, on the other side of Gloria, and stared flatly at Bede. Slowly, her lips pulled up into a knowing smile. 

Bede stole his eyes away. A prickle of heat trailed down his neck. A slow pulse of panic beating in his ears. 

Shit.

She'd seen him. Seen Bede smiling softly at Gloria, attention fixed solely on the Champion and the unbidden emotions flashing over her face, obvious and ever changing. 

Marnie has seen him smiling like a lovestruck fool at Gloria. 

Bede steeled his gaze forward and tried to pay attention to the competition and not the piercing gaze watching him. Not the excitable Champion next to him who wouldn't stand still for even a second. 

"Look! What Pokemon is that?" Gloria cooed at the next contestant and their Pokemon, and brought out her Rotom phone, flicking to the Pokedex. "Houndoom? Wow! It's native to the Johto region!" She leant forward, eyes sparkling with wonder. "There's so many Pokemon I don't know about!" 

Bede bit back his smile. 

"It says they live in packs!" Hop read off Gloria's Pokedex. He stood close to her, peering at her phone as if their close proximity was completely normal to them. "Hey, Marnie! It's a dark type! You could add one to your team, then." 

Marnie nodded, smiling whimsically as she watched Houndoom begin it's turn. 

Gloria gasped excitedly at every Pokemon that appeared, whether she recognised it or not. She cheered as if the contestants were her own Pokemon, winced when they fumbled and applauded when they finished. Bede was content to watch silently. Gloria and Hop made enough noise for the rest of them. 

For once, the rumble of the crowd, the buzz of noise and laughter and cheers didn't bother Bede so much. On other occasions, he would have stalked away to a more quiet, secluded area. Well, he wouldn't have even gone to the fair in the first place. The crowds, the noise, the heat and onslaught on his senses were not something he cared for at all. 

But he'd accepted her invitation without a second thought and found that he wasn't regretting it in the slightest. 

"Where should we go next?" Gloria asked, unfolding the map of the fair and laying it out so everyone could see. 

Bede stepped closer, looking at the map as if he cared what they did and not the fact that it was an excuse to be next to her. 

"Oh, we've got to try the Rayquaza Coaster! It's the fastest rollercoaster in all of Galar!" Hop beamed. "You can't go to the Wyndon Fair and not try it at least once!" 

Bede thought otherwise. 

"Yes!" Gloria gasped. "Let's do it!" She nudged Bede with her elbow. "You've got to try it with us!" 

Bede gave her a disinterested look. "I'm fairly sure that I don't." 

"Your loss!" Hop called, already heading in the direction of the rollercoaster. 

Bede didn't miss the smirk that flashed on Hop's face and scowled. He joined Gloria, Hop and Marnie in the line for the coaster despite the swirling trepidation in his gut. It was hard to ignore the twinkle in Marnie's eyes. Unsaid words glittered in her eyes, the silent insinuation in her look louder than the screams coming from the coaster as it raced around the track. He wanted to glare at her and snap "what?!" but didn't want to give her an excuse to voice what that look in her eyes meant. 

Bede pointedly looked away from Marnie as they filed into the rollercoaster. Gloria and Hop climbing into the seats ahead of Bede and Marnie. Gloria laughed at something Hop has said and Bede fought the scowl off his face.

He thought he heard Marnie laugh. He narrowed his eyes at her, automatically barking, "what?" 

Her slight grin was enough to freeze Bede in place. "Nothin'", she said. 

Bede's heart flopped. 

She knew.

He didn't get to comprehend the terror of that realisation as the rollercoaster took off. He stiffened and instantly regretted his choice to join them. 

He was a complete and utter fool. The coaster climbed almost vertically and teetered on the edge of the drop. Bede snapped his eyes shut. 

Arceus.

The things he did because of Gloria. 

-

Bede may have passed out on the rollercoaster because he remembered none of it. The next thing he knew, they had stopped and were climbing out. His ears rang, throat raw as if he'd been screaming. The solid ground seemed to sway beneath his feet. A gentle hand rested on his arm. 

"Are you okay, Bede?" Gloria's soft voice washed over him. The world spun. 

"Whoa, you're looking a little green there, mate." 

"You going t' be sick?" 

Bede swallowed the bile rising in his throat and blinked to clear his vision. "I'm fine," he huffed. 

Then realised that Gloria was standing close, peering at him in concern. Her hand still rested on his arm. He straightened and looked away. Pulled away from her touch as casually as he could. "I do not understand what kind of person could consider such a horrific contraption 'fun' in any sense of the word." 

Gloria smiled regretfully at him. "Why don't we grab something to eat? Then we can decide what to do next." 

Bede's stomach dropped. Damn it. He'd switched back to snapping at her without thinking. He felt so exposed, with Hop and Marnie watching him, that his skin prickled irritably. His nerves were on high alert. The snarky, gruff walls he'd managed to drop around Gloria had clicked firmly back into place. 

Bede held back a sigh. "Food sounds like a good idea," he agreed, and when she smiled in response he felt his heart relax. At least he hadn't hurt her.

They meandered around the fair to the food stalls and split up, grabbing whatever caught their fancy before meeting on the grass beneath a large tree. The shade was a welcome respite from the hot sun and the noise was at a tolerable level away from the majority of the crowd. They ate comfortably in the shade, Gloria and Hop sharing a large packet of hot chips and squabbling over the dipping sauces like children. 

Bede tried not to pay too much attention to them as he tucked into his wrap. His heart clenched at how easily, how naturally they got along. Hop joked and teased Gloria so easily, laughing with her, honestly and openly. He smiled without a thought. Grinned widely without shame. 

A prickle of envy stabbed into Bede's heart.

"Alright," Gloria began, then stopped to swat Hop's hand away as he tried to sneakily dip another chip into her sauce. "Stop! You've already used all of yours! I'm trying to get the map out!" 

"Aw, but you're hardly using it!" Hop huffed. 

"I'm saving it." Gloria levelled a narrow stare at him before retrieving the map and spreading it out on the grass.

Hop leant back, stretching his arm around her to reach the sauce. 

"Hop!" She yanked his arm away before shifting the small tub of sauce further away. Hop laughed and Gloria rolled her eyes despite the smile on her face.  
"Anyway, as I was going to say, is there anything you guys really want to do? I thought it'd be cool to catch the Wooloo herding exhibition. It starts in half an hour and it's not too far away."

Bede studied the map as the group discussed their options. He hadn't spared a thought about doing anything until now. Hadn't cared about anything except for the fact that Gloria has invited him. Didn't even consider that his opinion would be asked about. 

He'd never been to the Wyndon Fair before.

"Is there anything you'd like to do, Bede?" Gloria asked him as she saw him studying the map. 

Bede pointed to a stadium not far from where they were. "That seems like it would be fairly interesting." 

"Ooh, the triple-battle arena! They're also running rotation battle matches there too!" She beamed a bright smile. "Great idea! It's running all afternoon so we can check it out after the herding exhibition!" 

Marnie nodded, an interested gleam in her eyes. 

"Guess that's settled then!" Hop took the moment to snatch Gloria's sauce packet and dipped his chips into it. 

"Hey!" Gloria squawked indignantly and stole it back. Hop shoved his chips into his mouth with a grin. 

The fight for the sauce continued until all the chips were gone and they headed over to the oval where a flock of Wooloo grazed in a fenced-in area. Boltund and Yamper stood obediently beside their trainers just outside. 

Gloria rushed over with a bounce in her step. "It's going to start soon! Come on!" 

She beamed like an excited child and Bede couldn't help but smile at her bubbling excitement. Seeing her like this made even the most mundane things take on a new air. She found joy in the strangest of places, in things that Bede wouldn't have spared a second look. It was like the light had suddenly shifted and the world became brighter. 

It was strange, the effect her happiness had on him. 

He shook his head to himself, smothering another grin that threatened to form, and saw Hop looking back at him. Bede narrowed his eyes slightly as Hop came over. He had an indescribable smile on his face.

"What's that look supposed to mean?" Bede folded his arms instinctively when Hop's smile turned into a cheeky grin.

"I can't believe it," Hop said, still grinning. 

Bede frowned. "Believe what?" 

"You've got a crush on Gloria!" 

Bede's heart stopped dead. Hop's grin grew as the blood drained from the Gym Leader's face. 

"Ha! I knew it!" 

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Bede scoffed. "You must have something medically wrong with your eyes if you've come to that conclusion." 

Hop laughed in disbelief. "It's so obvious! Man, who would've thought! You couldn't even stand to look at her in the beginning and now you can't stop gawking at her!" 

"I-I was not gawking!" Bede sputtered. 

"Don't worry mate, I won't mention a thing to Gloria," Hop chuckled. "Never thought I'd see the day when Bede of all people got all flustered over my best friend!" 

"Y-You're not listening to a word I'm saying!" 

"Yup! And it's amazing!" Hops amused grin only widened. "And here I used to think you were a posh jerk, stuck-up stick-in-the-mud type of guy but now you've fallen for Gloria! She's your complete opposite!"

Bede scowled. "We are not that different."

Hop laughed. "Oh, you've got it bad. This is hilarious!" 

Bede's protest died in his throat when Gloria called over to them. "Bede, Hop! You're going to miss it!"

Hop clapped Bede's back with a chuckle and skipped over to rejoin Gloria and Marnie at the fence. Bede sighed heavily into his hands. 

Arceus.

It had gone from bad to worse. 

-

They headed over to the battle arena after watching the herding exhibition and walked into a wave of noise. The crowd cheered at the battles taking place, a burst of lightning and then fire streaking into the air. On one court, there was a three-by-three match, three trainers on either side. Another had two trainers facing off in a rotation battle, the last had two trainers battling with three Pokemon each. 

"Wow!" Gloria gasped, scanning the different battles. "That looks like fun!" 

Hop whistled, impressed. "Imagine having to command three Pokemon at once. Sounds like it could get confusing real fast!" 

"Look! We can sign up for a match!" Gloria pointed to a table set up at the edge of the courts, a line of people waiting for their turn. "We should do a triple-battle!" 

"Unless you haven't noticed, there's four of us," Bede deadpanned. "A triple-battle requires three trainers." 

Gloria's expression fell. "Oh, right." 

"I'll watch," Marnie offered, "an' cheer you three on." 

"Marnie…!" Gloria took her hands, holding them tightly with tearful eyes. "Thank you…!" 

Bede swallowed his comment that he hadn't agreed to the triple-battle and decided that it wouldn't be so bad to fight alongside Gloria. She beckoned him and Hop to follow as she skipped down the stairs, taking them two at a time as she hurried to the sign-up desk. 

"We'd like to sign up for a triple-battle!" Gloria said to the man at the desk, pointing to Bede and Hop. 

"Alright. Write down your names and the Pokemon you're going to choose. It's one Pokemon each, whoever knocks out the opponent's team first wins. Any questions, just let me know."

Gloria took the clipboard and sign-up sheet from him and bounced over to Hop and Bede. "Which Pokemon do you want to use? I'm thinking I'll go with Fyrian. We've got a few new moves I'm eager to try!" 

Her Cinderace. Bede should have expected as much. 

"Then, I'll go with Rillaboom!" Hop decided. "That'll balance us out." 

"What about you, Bede?" Gloria asked. She wrote down their names as well as her and Hop's Pokemon choices. 

"I'll use Hatterene." 

Gloria nodded. "Great!" She finished with the sheet and handed it back to the sign-up desk. They were directed to wait beside the triple-battle court where Gloria rocked restlessly on her feet. 

"Ah…! I'm so excited!" Gloria grinned, squirming with boundless energy. "I wonder what Pokemon we're going to face?" 

"We'll find out soon enough," Bede said, motioning to the losers of the previous match as they exited the court. Gloria gasped in excitement as they were ushered forward. 

"And now, challenging the undefeated trio, we have trainers Gloria, Hop and Bede!" the announcer called, his words booming around the arena. "Give them a warm round of applause!" 

"Undefeated?" Bede scoffed. He eyed the triplets standing on the opposite side of the court. They grinned smugly.

Gloria returned their grin with a blazing smile of her own. "Not for long." The heated look in her eyes sent a shiver down Bede's spine. She was serious about this. 

Hop and Bede took their places either side of Gloria and faced the triplets, Pokeballs in hand. 

"Let the battle begin!" 

At the announcer's call, all six competitors sent their Pokemon out onto the court. Lights flashed, Cinderace, Rillaboom and Hatterene standing ready in front of their trainers, and faced down the opposing Pokemon. 

Three Pokemon Bede had never seen before. The Pokemon shared similar features, standing upright on two feet, but the fur on their heads was shaped differently and each was a different colour. 

"Wh-What are they?" Gloria gaped. She glanced anxiously to where her bag and Rotom phone sat just outside the court. She had no Pokedex to help. 

"I dunno!" Hop echoed. "Never seen them before!"

Bede glanced between the Pokemon; the green one had fur on it's head and tail shaped almost like the club from a deck of cards. The firey red one had a tuft of fur licking up like a flame, the blue one with fur that trickled down its head like limp noodles. 

"Let's go with the assumption that they're grass, fire and water typed," Bede said quickly. "That's the obvious choice." 

Gloria nodded stiffly. "Right. Good idea." 

The triplets didn't give them much time to react. 

"Simisear, Fire Blast on Rillaboom!" 

"Fyrian!" 

Cinderace leapt in front of Rillaboom, bracing and absorbing the scorching blast of fire. The blue Pokemon leapt into action immediately after, shooting a torrent of water at Cinderace. A shimmering barrier of light lessened the impact, but the attack sent Cinderace crashing backwards into Rillaboom.

Gloria flinched. Even with Light Screen, a head-on impact of Hydro Pump did a lot of damage. She had to think fast. They had to deal with the Water and Fire types quickly. 

"Hop, Bede, take out the Water-Type. I've got the Fire-Type!" 

"On it!" 

"Fine." 

"Fyrian, let's get the red one!" Gloria called, wishing she at least knew the Pokemon's name. She vaguely remembered one of the triplets calling something earlier but the heat of battle made the memory hazy. 

Cinderace leapt to his feet, hopping eagerly and ready to pounce. As if a starting gun had fired, Fyrian dashed forward at Gloria's command, streaking across the court towards Simisear. Simipour readied another blast of water before Rillaboom crossed the court, arms raised to strike. 

Cinderace slammed into Simisear at full speed, unflinching as Simisear tried to slow the racing Pokemon with a desperate blast of fire. At the same time, Simipour flew across the court from Rillaboom's Wood Hammer. Hatterene sent a wave of dazzling light shooting around the court, raining down on the three opposing Pokemon. 

"Now, Fyrian! Pyro Ball!" 

"Hatterene, Mystical Fire!" 

Two surges of fire shot at the Simisage from opposite directions, engulfing the Pokemon in a roar of fire and heat. The smoke lingered for a breath, revealing the fainted Pokemon when it lifted. With Simisage recalled, two Pokemon remained. 

"Let's do this!" Gloria cried, pumping her fists. 

Bede smirked. She didn't have to tell him twice. 

Simipour sent a torrent of water at Cinderace, who leapt into the air high above the court. The sudden height shocked Simipour, who stared up at the soaring Cinderace and didn't see Rillaboom approaching. Hatterene sent a swirling Shadow Ball at Simisear, causing it to dodge before it could launch another Fire Blast in time.

Cinderace landed squarely on Simisear's head as Rillaboom sliced at Simisage with a gleaming blade of green light. 

The crowd roared as Simisear and Simisage fainted simultaneously. The triplets gaped. Gloria squealed ecstatically. 

"We did it!" Gloria engulfed Hop in a hug before rushing over and embracing Bede. "We won!" She dashed off and hugged her Cinderace without noticing the burst of red across Bede's cheeks. 

Bede breathed a tense sigh and praised his Hatterene before recalling it. Hop grinned widely at him, and Bede scowled in response. 

"Hey, I didn't say anything," Hop protested. 

Bede rolled his eyes and stalked off the court, Gloria and Hop following, leaving the triplets to stare at them in disbelief. 

"Well done," Marnie congratulated them. Gloria, still running on the high from their victory, hugged Marnie joyfully. 

"Thanks! But it's all thanks to Bede; I had no idea what Pokemon we were facing!" 

"Even without knowing their names, their typing was fairly obvious. Bright red, green and blue? It doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

Gloria rolled her eyes. "I was trying to compliment you." 

"Nah, Bedey's just embarrassed," Hop teased. 

"You're embarrassed?" 

Bede flushed, scowling darkly at Hop. "I am not. And don't you dare call me that again." 

"Aw, but Bedey is such a cute nickname!" Gloria gasped. 

Bede's heart lodged in his throat, skittering and fluttering at the way it sounded on her voice. "No. Don't call me that, ever." 

Arceus, he wouldn't be able to breathe if she did. 

Gloria pouted but gave in. "Alright. Let's watch a few matches; I want to see how a rotation battle works! Then let's head to the Ghost Train that Marnie mentioned earlier!" 

Bede breathed a sigh of relief as that topic was dropped and they watched a couple of rotation battles, meandering around the courts to see all the different Pokemon and battle styles. 

After they left and headed to the Ghost Train, they were about to join in the queue when Gloria stepped over to him. Bede swallowed and tried to keep his heart from thundering away in his chest as he met her eyes. 

"You don't have to join us on the ride if you don't want to," she said gently. She smiled at him with a soft and concerned tilt of her head. "You didn't seem to enjoy the Rayquaza coaster much." 

"That's different. I doubt a ghost train is about to fling us around a track at ridiculous speeds." 

Gloria brightened. "Then, you'll join us?" 

"I suppose." 

Despite his lackluster response, Gloria smiled happily. She skipped into line, Bede joining her, and they shuffled forward until it was their turn to board. Bede steeled himself as he ended up sitting next to Gloria on the narrow seats. Hop looked over his shoulder at him and grinned sneakily, turning back around before Bede could level a deathly glare at him. 

Gloria made a tiny squeak as they began to move, the train clacking forward slowly. Bede raised an eyebrow at her as they descended into the tunnel and were enveloped in darkness. He heard her gasp over the rickety clicking of the train. 

"Hold on - are you scared?" Bede asked. He thought he saw her twitch in the darkness. 

"N-No." She sounded close. "I just can't see anything, that's all." 

Bede hummed, unconvinced. 

The train creaked as they rounded a corner. A whisper of cold air washed over them. Something chittered in the distance.

"Bede, you're still there, right?" 

He scoffed lightly. "And where, exactly, would I go?"

"I-I don't know! I can't see you in the dark!" 

"What, do you want to hold my hand or something, so you know I'm here?" he chuckled, then jumped as a hand brushed his leg. 

"Yes!" she squeaked. Her hand fumbled across his thigh. 

Bede snatched her hand quickly. "C-Calm down! Nothing's happened yet!" 

Gloria shrieked. "S-Something just touched my shoulder!" She pressed closer to Bede, curling up against his arm. She was warm and… soft. He knew exactly what part of her he could feel pressing right up against him. Heat seared through his body and he choked on a gasp when her fingers threaded through his.

Arceus, this was too much!

"There's something there!" Gloria hissed. A Gengar dropped from the ceiling, waggling its tongue with a loud cry. Gloria shrieked, her whole body flinching as the Gengar vanished. 

"You have Ghost Pokemon on your team!" Bede huffed, trying to keep the squeak out of his voice as she pressed flush against his arm. 

"Th-This is different! I can't see anything!" 

"That's the whole point of a ghost train!"

Gloria grumbled incoherently in her throat. She tightened her grip on his hand, the heat from her fingers pooling into Bede's chest. Every movement she made only served to press her closer to him. Every jump and gasp when a group of Litwick flared their candles for a second in the darkness, when a laughing Misdreavus tapped on Gloria's shoulder and made her scream. 

Bede suffered in smouldering silence. Burning up from within. His cheeks felt as though they were sizzling, as though he'd be able to feel steam rising from his face if he touched it. He managed to look in her direction, unable to make out her outline in the darkness. He could hear her breathing, so close to his ears, and yet couldn't see her at all. Which meant that she couldn't see him, nor the full-faced blush he was wearing.

Bede went to breathe a sigh when they were doused in light, the train finally exiting the tunnel. He blinked through the blinding glare, opening his eyes to find Gloria's face mere inches from his. Her eyes widened. Lips parted in a soft gasp that brushed hot against his mouth. She stared at him, shock, panic and something else, something deeper and warmer swirling in her eyes. She didn't pull away. She looked into his eyes and for a moment, Bede couldn't breathe. The dusting of her breath against his lips made them part and her eyes flicked to follow the movement. He couldn't look away from the heat in her eyes. They were so close. He had only to tilt his head to close that tortuous distance between their lips. 

And she hadn't pulled away. Did that mean he could…? 

The train creaked and Gloria jolted, stealing away from Bede in an instant. 

"S-Sorry!" she squeaked, snatching her hand out of his and reeling as far away as she could in the narrow cart. "I-I didn't realise we were- it was so dark and I…! Sorry…!" She blushed darkly and looked away. 

"It's fine," Bede croaked.

Arceus. Had he almost…? 

His throat closed up on him, dry and hoarse. He stole a glance at her at the moment she did the same and they both snapped their gaze away. They rocked in a tense, deafening silence as the train rounded the corner to where they'd first embarked. They climbed out without another word. 

"Ah…! That was so good!" Hop exclaimed. "I've still got shivers!" He rubbed his arms up and down furiously. "Gloria? You okay? You've gone all red-" 

"L-Let's go check out some stalls - I saw some this way." Gloria grabbed Marnie by the arm and dragged her away before Hop could question her further. 

Hop slowly turned to Bede, a grin growing on his face. "Hang on, did something happen-" 

"Don't." Bede cut him off and stormed after Gloria, ignoring the obvious flush on his cheeks. 

Gloria wouldn't look at him. Hop wouldn't stop grinning at him. It was a nightmare in progress. They walked aimlessly through the street filled end-to-end with various stalls, from weird hats styled after Pokemon to merchandise of the Gym Leaders and endless plush toys. Anything and everything was being sold. It was a welcome distraction. Something else to focus on other than what had just happened. What had almost happened. 

Bede couldn't stop himself from glancing at her. Couldn't stop his eyes from dropping to her pink lips, the memory of her gentle gasp against his mouth still very fresh in his mind. 

Her lips had been so close, looked so warm and soft and- 

No, no, no, no.

Heat began to creep back up Bede's neck. He had to stop thinking about that. He sighed and let himself follow Gloria and Marnie as they wove through the stalls, trying on silly hats. Gloria put on a pair of large sunglasses shaped like Shedinja's eyes, making Marnie laugh uncontrollably.

Hop sidled up next to him, grinning. 

"Don't." Bede frowned. He didn't look at Hop, wouldn't feed into his teasing. 

"I didn't say anything!" 

"You were going to." 

"Maybe." 

"Look, nothing… nothing happened." Bede folded his arms, looking away at nothing as his cheeks warmed. "I didn't try anything if that's what you're worried about." 

Hop raised his eyebrows in shock for a moment. "Nah, I'm not worried as long as Gloria's happy. If that means being with a jerk like you then that's none of my business." He said it lightly, as a joke, but it made Bede stop. He frowned. 

"Hop." 

Hop turned. Tilted his head curiously. 

"Look, during the Challenger's Cup I… may have said a few things to you that were uncalled for." 

"May have?" Hop lifted an eyebrow coyly. 

"Fine! I said some things to you that I have now come to regret. I… saw my own failings in you and unjustly took my frustrations out on you." Bede shoved his hands into his pockets with a sigh. "I apologize for what I said." 

Hop blinked at him for a moment. "Wow. Never thought I'd hear that." 

"Is that all you're going to say?!" Bede huffed. A bashful heat spread across his cheeks.

Hop laughed. "It's all good, mate. Thanks for apologising, I just never thought I'd see the day! You sure have changed a lot since the Challenger's Cup." 

Gloria had a thing or two to do with that, Bede thought. 

"What d'ya mean you saw your failings in me?" Hop asked. "I didn't think we had anything in common." 

Bede's expression became pensive and far-off. A shadow flickered across his eyes. "Let's just say that I know what it's like to live in someone else's shadow and feel like everything you do, every time you fail, it's going to be reflected on them." 

"Ah." Hop nodded in understanding. "Guess we've both stepped out of some shadows and into the light then!" 

Bede looked at Hop for a moment, finding that his irritation towards the loud, energetic guy that he'd once despised had faded without him realising.

"I suppose we have." 

"Hey! You two!" Gloria called down the street. "What're you doing, you Slowpokes! We'll leave you behind!" 

Hop and Bede shared a snort of laughter at the Slowpoke hat on Gloria's head. The ears flopped up and down as she pressed some mechanism in the strips of fluffy pink fabric that draped down either side of the hat. Marnie was doing the same with a Morpeko hat.

"Please don't tell me you bought that," Bede chided lightly as he and Hop walked over to them. 

Gloria pouted. "Why not? It's cute!" 

"You're just saying that because it's pink," Hop noted. 

Gloria grumbled. "And that's a bad thing?!" 

The Morpeko ears flopped alternatively on Marnie's head. Left, right. Left, right. Her eyes twinkled. 

"I don't care what you say, it's cute." Gloria huffed. "We should all get one!" 

"Why?" Bede raised an eyebrow. 

"It's fun! That's a good enough reason." Gloria turned around and fished through the hats for a moment. She plopped a hat over Bede's head, smothering his eyes for a moment. "It's perfect!" 

Bede glowered, shifting the hat so that it no longer covered his eyes. It fit strangely on his curly hair. 

"Come have a look!" Gloria tugged Bede around the stall where a mirror hung and motioned for him to look. 

A hat like Gloria's and Marnie's sat on his head, styled like a Sylveon with large pointed ears. Gloria smiled at him in the mirror. 

"See? It's so cute!" 

Bede gave the fluffy fabric dangling down a tentative squeeze, making the Sylveon's ears perk up. "It's not completely awful."

Gloria huffed, rolling her eyes with fake hurt. "There's just no pleasing you, is there?"

"Oh, I can think of a few things that would please me." 

Bede instantly regretted saying that as Gloria's cheeks coloured pink and she ducked her head, shuffling back over to Marnie and Hop. He hadn't even meant anything specific - especially not anything regarding what almost might've happened earlier - and flushed as he realised how she had taken his quip.

Bede forced himself to walk back to them, where Gloria had a Scorbunny hat on her head now. 

"See? It's cute and not pink!" she said to Hop, jutting her nose in the air stubbornly. "Now we have to get you one- hey, look! This one's a Snorlax!" She placed it on Hop's head and nodded satisfyingly. "Perfect!" 

Gloria took the four hats and paid for them, handing them back with a grin. "There, as thanks for coming with me!" 

"Aw, Gloria, I would've come with you anyway. I'm sure all of us feel the same," Hop said, giving Gloria a quick hug. 

She laughed. "I know, but I still wanted to get you guys something." 

Marnie smiled, a gentle, happy blush colouring her cheeks. "Thanks," she said softly. 

"It's not bad," Bede said and ran his fingers along the faux fur. "At least it's soft." 

Gloria grinned happily at them as they donned their hats and meandered through the rest of the stalls. 

-

After perusing the remainder of the stalls and going on a few more rides until they were dizzy, they gathered outside the fairgrounds and waited for their sky taxis to arrive. Gloria and Marnie kept twitching the ears of their hats absently. 

Marnie's was the first to arrive. Gloria embraced her in a tight hug, getting a light pat on her shoulder in return.

Bede raised his eyebrows slightly. It seemed he wasn't the only one who could be awkward with physical contact. 

Marnie climbed into her sky taxi with a small wave goodbye and was soon gone. 

Gloria and Hop's sky taxi landed next. She turned to Bede with a soft, yet slightly bashful, smile. 

"Thanks for coming today, Bede," she said. 

Bede's heart skittered at the gentle tone of her voice, the bashful smile on her face sending a crackling of warmth through his chest. He stiffened automatically. It was suddenly hard to breathe. 

"Y-Yeah. I… had fun," he admitted quietly. Bede tugged the collar of his coat higher. 

Gloria's eyes widened fractionally before her smile softened. "I'm glad." She drew close, wrapped her arms around him briefly in a tight hug. Bede managed to slide his arms around her back in return this time. Light enough so that she could step away easily. She pulled back, her hands lingering on his shoulders for a moment longer. 

"See you later," she said, stepping away completely this time with a wave. 

Bede ignored the wide grin Hop was giving him and waved back. "Bye."

-

His chest still fluttered after Gloria was gone. It had been an… interesting day, to say the least. He hadn't expected Hop to be so accepting of his feelings towards Gloria. Hadn't expected a lot of the things that had happened. He had been more honest with himself, and with Hop, than usual. 

Strangely, that didn't bother him at all. He gave the dangling fabric of the hat he was wearing - shaped like the Sylveon's paws, he realised - a squeeze, making the ears pop upright. 

It had been a good idea to come, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! <3  
> It's my first time participating in a ship week so I'm so excited! 
> 
> Here's a link to the Bederia Express discord server! https://discord.gg/VfgDN5  
> Come join if you'd like!


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